title: Thyroglobulin wash testing in the surveillance of patients with thyroid carcinoma: proposal for a reflex test.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Fine needle aspiration (FNA) cytology with thyroglobulin wash (TG-W) testing is recommended for follow-up of patients with differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC). The goal of this retrospective study was to determine if TG-W results contributed to the management of cases with positive FNA cytology.
  
  
  METHODS
  We reviewed data on patients with positive and suspicious cytology results, undergoing lymph node or thyroid bed FNA with TG-W testing as part of the preoperative or follow-up investigation of histologically proven DTC in our institution and from the literature.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of 30 positive/suspicious lymph node and thyroid bed FNAs in our institution, 22 (73%) had an elevated (>1 ng/ml) TG-W level. Seven of 8 TG-W-negative cases had DTC on follow-up. Of 577 cytology-positive/suspicious FNAs in the literature, 557 (97%) showed TG-W-positive results. Fourteen of 20 TG-W-negative cases had DTC on follow-up. All patients in retrospective and literature review groups with positive and suspicious FNA cytology and available follow-up were treated for recurrent or metastatic disease regardless of TG-W results.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Observations of both our and other institutions support a recommendation of reflex FNA TG-W testing only for cases with negative or indeterminate cytology results.
authors.affiliation: Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Philadelphia, Pa., USA.
authors.forename: Anastasiya
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pigal
authors.forename: Rossitza
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Draganova-Tacheva
authors.forename: Charalambos C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Solomides
authors.forename: Marluce
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bibbo
mesh_terms: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000032:analysis; D044963:Biopsy, Fine-Needle / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D007507:Therapeutic Irrigation / Q000379:methods; D013954:Thyroglobulin / Q000032:analysis*; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis*
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D013954:Thyroglobulin